Shloka 102
Śiva-stavarāja: Upamanyu’s Preface and Initiation of the Śarva-Nāma Enumeration
Anuśāsana-parva 17
बहुधा निन्दित: शर्व: शड्कर: शड्करो5धन: । अमरेशो महादेवो विश्वदेव: सुरारिहा
bahudhā ninditaḥ śarvaḥ śaṅkaraḥ śaṅkaro 'dhanaḥ | amareśo mahādevo viśvadevaḥ surārihā ||
Vāyu berkata: “Walau Śarva telah dicela dengan banyak cara (oleh Dakṣa dan para pendukungnya), ia tetaplah Śarva—pemusnah pada saat pralaya. Ia Śaṅkara—yang membawa kebajikan; Śaṅkara pula—pemberi sukacita bagi para bhakta. Ia ‘tanpa harta’—bebas dari kekayaan duniawi. Ia Tuhan bahkan bagi para dewa; Mahādeva, yang disembah juga oleh para dewata; dewa yang dipuja segenap jagat; dan pembantai musuh-musuh para dewa.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Worldly blame does not diminish true greatness: the verse reframes criticism of Śiva by listing his essential qualities—auspiciousness, protection of devotees, renunciation of worldly wealth, cosmic sovereignty, and the upholding of divine order by destroying hostile forces.
Vāyu responds to the context of Dakṣa’s party disparaging Śiva, asserting that despite such censure, Śiva’s established nature and roles remain supreme, expressed through a chain of honorific names (epithets).